1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a seawall or barrier imposed between up lands and a body of water defining the limits of each and particularly wherein the seawall is composed of a plurality of elongated oval-shaped tubular members or sections. The bottom of each section is buried into the ground by methods well known to the industry or by use of a special apparatus disclosed herein. There are two separate interlocks between each of the sections to prevent leakage of ground materials from the upland into the water. The integrity of the interlocks may be further enhanced by filling the included area between the interlocks with a hardening material such as concrete.
2. Description of Related Art
Seawalls are typically constructed utilizing formed or rolled steel or other metallic material panels which interlock together edge to edge as each elongated panel of the seawall is installed and embedded or driven into the ground adjacent a body of water. Each of the interlocking seawall panels is typically formed of steel and includes some corrosive resistant feature, particularly when deployed adjacent a body of salt water. However, such seawalls are known to be relatively short lived and must be replaced periodically due to rust and electrolysis at considerable expense. Interlocking PVC material is also used, but must be reinforced with pilings and longitudinal members known as walers.
Prior art patents include the following:                U.S. Pat. No. 738,346 issued to Mouchel        U.S. Pat. No. 905,771 issued to Upson        U.S. Pat. No. 910,421 issued to Schlueter        U.S. Pat. No. 1,693,311 issued to Miller et al.        U.S. Patent No. 2,439,606 issued to Hurt        U.S. Pat. No. 3,739,588 issued to Schroter et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,374 issued to Colbert et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,983 issued to Weatherby        U.S. Pat. No. 4,222,684 issued to Rosenstock        U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,192 issued to Colle        U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,052 issued to McCullers        U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,071 issued to Roper, Jr.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,605,339 issued to Bullivant        U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,098 issued to Lipsker        U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,348 issued to Breaux        U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,082 issued to Hiller, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,247 issued to Endres et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,583 issued to Gibson        U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,641 issued to Stephens, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,360 issued to Wood II        U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,851 issued to Norfolk, et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,826 issued to Mansfield        U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,675 issued to Moreau        U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,294 issued to Mansfield        U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,196 issued to Mansfield        U.S. Pat. No. 6,427,402 issued to White        
My previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,826 addresses, in part, one of the difficulties of using anything other than the conventional interlocking steel panels to form a seawall. In this patent, I teach the use and deployment of tubular pilings formed of p.v.c. plastic material. Prior to the teaching in this patent, the use of such plastic tubular material was not well known. Two important aspects facilitating this invention were there disclosed, namely, a method and apparatus for embedding a plastic tubular piling into the water bed and a driving apparatus and method for deploying tubular plastic pilings into the water bottom.
Another previous U.S. Pat. No. 6,312,196 adds to this teaching and expands it into the area of seawall construction. By incorporating a tubular member formed of p.v.c. with sufficient strength, the expected service life of such seawalls is greatly extended because of the inert nature of p.v.c. material. That invention was directed to a seawall anchored into ground adjacent to a body of water comprising a plurality of elongated tubular members arranged in upright side by side relation one to another forming a seawall section, a lower portion of each tubular member embedded into, and receiving support from, the ground along an edge of the body of water and method of installation thereof. An elongated generally horizontal rebar-reinforced concrete cap extends along, and rigidly interconnects together, each upper end portion of each of the tubular members. The cap is cast formed in place after the tubular members are installed. Each tubular member is preferably rebar-reinforced and substantially filled with a cured aggregate reinforcement. A layer of filter cloth is held in place by fill dirt placed against the land or dry side of the seawall to substantially prevent fill dirt placed against the dry side of tubular members from washing into the body of water between adjacent tubular members. A tie back is connected at each end thereof to, and extending between, the cap and a ground anchor spaced from the tubular members.
The first interlock of the present invention is formed by a common ball and socket arrangement such that each section contains a ball along one edge and an open grooved socket along the other edge of each section. The second interlock is formed by a thin membrane that is pre-formed during the section manufacturing to exert a slight biased pressure against the adjoining section. A female locking tab further assures that the membrane nests against the adjoining section, and cannot separate during installation.
All tubular sections or members are designed for cement filling while forming a concrete cap utilizing a unique set of forms which may be flexible to allow for a degree of non-linearly of the sections to create bends or rigid to assure parallel alignment of the tubular members. After the cement cures and the forms are removed, a preformed matching thermoplastic cap can be snapped into place for both aesthetic and utilitarian enhancement.